41 



at the same time and placed side by side, the change of colour 

 in each fish will probably be quite different, for there appears 

 to be no regular order in this marking. To what this peculiar 

 colouring is due I am unable to explain. The fish in its element 

 is very pretty. They may be as much as three feet in length, 

 and are what I may term a deep fish. Their colour, while in the 

 sea, is of a blueish black on the back, but the sides, belly, fins, 

 and tail are a brilliant yellow. It is very amusing to watch one 

 chasing a large flying fish of eight or nine inches in length. 

 The Dolphin is capable of swimming about as fast as the flying 

 fish can go on its flight, and is ready to seize its prey immediately 

 it drops, often after a chase of 200 yards. The flying fish 

 evidently knows its enemy is beneath, for with just a touch of 

 the water with the tail it is off again in the air, very likely at 

 right angles. This movement is sometimes successful, but more 

 often I fancy not. Although the Dolphin is such a handsome 

 fish it is one of the ver)' poorest eating. After death when 

 viewed in the dark they always give out a phosphorescent 

 appearance, which lasts for some hours, and should the moon 

 be shining on them they are considered by sailors as poisonous, 

 as are all fish exposed to the rays of the moon. There may be 

 some truth in this. 



Flight of Locusts in Red Sea. 



There is every few years an enormous flight of Locusts 

 crossing the Red Sea. The ones I observed were apparently 

 coming from the Arabian side attempting to reach the Egyptain 

 Coast. Myriads of them fall from exhaustion into the water, and 

 I have seen the Sea for miles one seething mass of living and dead 

 Locusts until the water was actually red with them. Our native 

 crews catch them by hundreds and gri'l them over the charcoal 

 fires, and eat them with great relish, and really they are not at all 

 bad, and with a scarcity of other food I should think would be very 

 acceptable. I have wondered in my innocent mind if it is 

 possible that the Locust we read of in Scripture as used for food 

 may have been this insect. 



In the Red Sea in Autumn, the surface is covered with vast 

 quantities of a floating red substance, which under the 

 microscope is found to be a ver)^ delicate kind of sea weed. 

 I have frequently examined it and noticed it resembled semi 

 transparent pea or bean pods, with the seeds separate and each 

 pod containing some six or eight seeds. The red appearance 

 of this small weed is I believe really the origin of the name 

 given to that sea although the Locusts cause the surface for 

 many miles to assume a red colour. 



